Tacos Hass

Taco Hass is a Mexican gem secretly stashed in a Dublin strip mall. It is a casual spot with a wood-fired grill, and it is delightfully affordable. $10 buys a great meal here.

The bright space is located next to La Favorita Mexican Grocery. Taco Hass has a limited selection of alcoholic beverages a la Chipotle.

The vegetarian taco is the taco verde. Flour tortillas are filled with nopales - roasted prickly pear cactus - potatoes and melted white cheese. The soft cactus almost melts in your mouth, the potatoes add a nice texture and the salsa gives the taco a subtle spiciness. Four tacos is probably a reasonable lunch portion.

The quesadillas also pick up a nice flavor on the grill. They are a great vehicle for the different house-made salsas.

The menu is small, but the flavors are huge at Hass. Vegetarians only have a few options, but jt should be a main lunch destination for anybody withing a reasonable distance of this Sawmill Road delight.

Ethyl & Tank

Ethyl & Tank is the campus project from the folks who own the popular Crest Gastropub. This restaurant has a more casual menu than its Clintonville cousin. The excellent craft beer program is augmented by a full-service coffee counter.

The space is large and it can fill up quickly. There is a small rotating console arcade upstairs with classics like Street Fighter II Championship Edition, Mortal Kombat II, Rampage, NBA Jam and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Cocktails are named after video game characters. The restaurant is loaded with HDTVs.

The menu is loaded with options for vegetarians. and vegans. Many of the sandwiches have gluten free options. All of the sandwiches are better with a side of waffle fries.

Everything isn't a home run. For example, the falafel sandwich needed a greater amount of creamy dip to offset its dryness. But more items work than don't.

The tank nachos are a hot mess in the best way possible. A mountain of tortilla chips is piled with refried beans, queso cheese, Colby Jack, pico de gallo, jalepeños, corn and black bean salsa, sour cream and guacamole. They can definitely be shared.

Entree  options include veggie tacos, grilled cheese, smoked Caprese panini, veggie panini, green chile mac and cheese, and a variety of large salads.

Servers answered all questions about vegetarian and vegan options. The casual nature of the establishment sometimes results in uneven service. 

Cray Eatery & Drinkery

Cray is part of the old Wonder Bread factory. It's an open, casual space that specializes in sliders and infused-liquor cocktails.

The infused liquors aren't the run of the mill raspberry and vanilla flavors, although you might be able to get those too. They are flooded with things like smoked ginger, pumpkin spice, banana nut, garlic, hibiscus, candy corn, Skittles, Werther's and Lemonheads. 

These liquors make up traditional cocktails with an extra kick. Think garlic bloody Mary or smoked ginger vodka Moscow mules. There is also a solid beer and wine selection with about six taps.

The sliders and other pub grub go pretty well with a few drinks. There are three different veggie sliders - quinoa, portabella and tofu. There is a normal and pretzel bun, as well as a bun-less gluten free option.

The tofu can be prepared vegan. It is breaded and fried and topped with cole slaw. It is almost a vegetarian fried chicken slider.

The quinoa patty has a texture more like sloppy Joes. It is swimming in sundried tomato pesto and topped liberally with arugula. 

The portabella is topped with provolone cheese and caramelized onions. It is the classic grilled mushroom preparation, and it works really well on the pretzel bun.

Service can be uneven. Orders came out slowly on one visit, and it was difficult to get dishes served in a traditional appetizer - entree order. Nonetheless, servers and staff were all warm and accommodating As long as the kitchen isn't swamped, it's probably better to order dishes in a tapas fashion.